Fresh bid at inclusivity in Konza development

June 12, 2013

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By KENNEDY KANGETHE, NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 11 – The government has established the Konza City Community Consultative Forum in a bid to constantly engage with neighbouring county governments in the construction and development process of the metropolis.

Speaking to the press at Konza City grounds on Tuesday, Information Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said that they had consulted with Kajiado, Makueni and Machakos counties to take care of the 10 kilometre environment surrounding Konza City during the development process.

“As the national government is investing resources in developing the technology for Konza City, the county governments are looking after its environs,” he said.

Matiang’i said that the consultative forum will be holding quarterly consultative meetings so as to involve the county governments and communities in the development of the city.

“We will work with county governments to support the design of the areas around Konza City so that the quality of construction and ecosystem is also reflected in the three counties,” he said.

He said that the first phase of construction will break ground before the end of the year.

“We are going to work together with the county governments in addressing the issues of this environment so as we can start the development together with the surrounding community,” he said.

Welcoming the forum, Machakos County Governor Alfred Mutua said that politics will not interfere with the project.

“Cheap politics has resulted in underperformance of the country for the past 50 years, we will protect this project from it,” Mutua noted.

He also said that the Machakos County is building a new city to be well prepared in meeting the demands for Konza.

“We are building hospitals, schools and hotels. We want to be the dormitory for Konza City,” he added.

On his part Makueni County Governor Kivutha Kibwana said that the project was of high benefit to three counties and that they are working on a benefit sharing mechanism.

In the initial stages, the government will focus on completing key infrastructure and providing utilities such as water and sewerage systems for construction works to run seamlessly.

In the first phase, construction will start with the side pavilion, which will host conferences with investors, among other events.

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KENNEDY KANGETHE Kennedy is a Bachelor of Arts in Communication graduate from St. Paul's University and has been writing for the Capital FM Business Desk since 2013, Besides business news, he enjoys traveling, public